The Tragedy of TTIP

It seems appropriate to start the year off with a conversation about one of the biggest food concerns on the proverbial table.The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) has been in the works since last year with discussions occurring under the radar and away from any chance for an open forum of thoughts and ideas.While the TTIP agreement has many facets, the one that is of most concern to Bohemian Mojo (and hopefully to every individual) is the call for a “regulatory convergence” where food production is concerned. If this agreement goes through unchallenged it will be potentially devastating to sustainable and heritage food all across the EU and US.

Rather than bring all food standards up to a higher standard of quality, it will bring them lower. The EU currently has considerably higher standards on things like pesticide use, genetically modified foods, allowable preservatives and additives. If TTIP happens, people living in the EU can expect to find growth hormones and steroids in their beef, pork and turkeys among other things. You can also look for a reintroduction of over 1,100 currently banned additives and chemicals to food products and cosmetics.

Potentially even worse is the threat to heritage or protected origin foods. Currently, the U.S. does not recognize protected foods from the EU, however, since the EU does indeed have protected origins and designation labels as an attempt to preserve heritages foods and food processes they still exist and small farmers and food producers are able to continue doing what they have done for generations. If the regulatory convergence goes through, it will also include a lift on labeling these food items, which will basically mean anyone can produce a food and give it a “protected” name without actually meeting any of the standards and then ship it to the US for consumption. Bye bye heritage foods.... Bohemian Mojo believes this will be an irrevocable loss to human health and history.

For more information you can read this article on the TTIP and stay tuned....

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My Iron Heart

"Of the four elements, air, earth, water, and fire; man stole only one from the gods. Fire. And with it, man forged his will upon the world." ~Anonymous

We first visited Tom Southerndon at Buscot Forge in October with our initial Mojo launch. I have always had a fascination with fire and the application of heat, perhaps because I am a fireman’s daughter? Ultimately, I am most curious, as a foodie, to understand the various ways that heat is used to enhance our palates and our lives. Who better to help me understand more about this versatile element than a blacksmith? Say no more, Alun was on it and quickly arranged for the Mojo team to head to Tom’s forge. The experience was more than we could have anticipated. As Tom expertly stoked the forge fire, explaining each step in the process, I felt something happening deep within my being. Something stirred that I couldn’t quite identify. The fire whooshed, the flame danced to life, and the first clear bell of the hammer on the anvil woke some primal awareness in my soul. For a moment, completely without explanation, tears sprang to my eyes. I was hooked!